Turkey’s role in the fight against ISIS in Syria may be even more complicated than expected: a former Islamic State member reportedly claimed the country routinely communicates with the group, letting it cross the border to fight Kurdish troops.

In a report by Newsweek, the former Islamic State
communications technician – dubbed “Sherko Omer” in order to
protect his identity – said the extremist group considers Turkey
an ally as it continues to battle Kurds in Syrian towns like
Kobani.

“ISIS and Turkey cooperate together on the ground on the
basis that they have a common enemy to destroy, the Kurds,”
he told the magazine.

Notably, Omer said he personally brought together Islamic State
commanders inside of Syria and people in Turkey
“innumerable” times. The connection is reportedly so
strong that the two sides primarily communicate in Turkish, not
Arabic.

The allegations don’t end there, however. Omer added that it was
easy for Islamic State fighters to make it through Kurdish
defenses because the Turks allowed them to take alternate routes
back and forth through the Turkish border.

“ISIS commanders told us to fear nothing at all because there
was full cooperation with the Turks,” he said, referring to
border crossings, “and they reassured us that nothing will
happen, especially when that is how they regularly travel from
Raqqa and Aleppo to the Kurdish areas further northeast of Syria
because it was impossible to travel through Syria as [the
National Army of Syrian Kurdistan, or YPG] controlled most parts
of the Kurdish region.”

For its part, the YPG told Newsweek that Turkish forces are
actually supplying the Islamic State with weapons and ammunition.

If confirmed, the news could cast Turkey’s actions under even
more scrutiny. The US has been pushing the country to become more
involved in the conflict against IS – particularly in the Syrian
town of Kobani, where Kurds are resisting an onslaught by
militants. However, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has resisted
due to fears of empowering Kurdish factions in his own country
that could push for independence.

Turkey is also reluctant to enter the fight against the Islamic
State without receiving assurances from the US that it will help
topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom
Ankara opposes. So far, the US has declined to make such a
pledge.

Following tense exchanges between the two sides, Turkey agreed to
help Iraqi Kurd peshmerga fighters reach Kobani to help their
fellow Kurds fight militants.

The arrival of peshmerga with armored vehicles and artillery has
enabled Kurds to retake some of the villages around Kobani, but
failed to break the siege of the Syrian border town which eastern
part is still controlled by the jihadists.

“There is no change at all in Kobani as a result of the
peshmerga," said Rami Abdulrahman of the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, according to Reuters.
“Maybe one or two streets are gained then lost, back and
forth.”